André Derain (1880-1954). French painter who led several avant-garde art movements of the early 20th century.He was borninChatou, near Paris, and abandoned his engineering studies to pursue an artistic career.

In 1905, André Derain became a member of the fauvist group, along with Henri Matisse and Maurice de Vlaminck. Most of his paintings during this period were landscapes and cityscapes, which showed the typical fauvist characteristics of pure color, simplified forms andlack of concern for perspective.

In 1908, Derain began to experiment with other styles. The influence of Paul Cézanne led him to prefer quieter colors and more controlled compositions. He attempted to combine and synthesize the innovations of previous painters, such as Claude Monet and Cézanne. Two years later, some of his paintings were made in a very geometrical manner, under Cubism influence. His late paintings, after 1912, showed the influence of many other styles, including classical French art even, and characterized by muted color and fussily elaborated technique.

Derain also designed woodcut book illustrations. In 1919, he designed set decorations for Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.